Aaron Donald has blunt response to Rams return idea: He stared through their souls

Aaron Donald may be moving closer to a return to the Los Angeles Rams, but if he comes back, it apparently will not be for anything short of an all-in role.During a discussion on The Athletic Football Show, Robert Mays said one of his biggest questions after visiting Rams training camp was how the team envisioned using Donald if the three-time Defensive Player of the Year ends his retirement.According to Mays, the Rams floated the idea that Donald could simply be “one of the five guys” in the defensive-line rotation.That suggestion apparently did not land well.“He essentially stared through their souls after they said that to him,” Mays said.

“So I don’t anticipate him coming back to be some bit rotational player.I think if he’s going to come back, he thinks he can be Aaron Donald.”That would make Donald’s potential return much more complicated — and much more interesting — than simply carving out 25 snaps for a franchise legend.The Rams have reportedly considered a workload of roughly 30 to 40 snaps for Donald early in the season, but his recent work suggests he is not approaching a comeback casually.

Sean McVay jokingly called Donald’s official workout with Los Angeles “the best tryout that we’ve ever had,” while Rams defensive lineman Desjuan Johnson recently said Donald looked “a little bit faster” during training.If Donald expects a substantial role, someone else’s workload will have to change.Kobie Turner played more than 75 percent of the Rams’ defensive snaps last season, while Braden Fiske was on the field for roughly 53 percent.Fiske has already said he would view Donald’s return as an opportunity to learn rather than worry about losing playing time.

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